The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), an Indian intelligence agency, has confiscated two containers carrying approximately 3,000 kilos of heroin at Mundra port in Gujarat, India.
In one of the largest seizures of all time in the world, two persons have been arrested, while the role of some Afghan nationals remains under investigation, according to the national media.
The first box included 1,99.58 kg of heroin and the second one carried 988.64 kg of the stuff, with the exact total amount of heroin found in these two containers being 2,988.22 kilos.
The huge contraband was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, according to The Hindu.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), the operator of Mundra port, confirmed that on 16 September a joint operation by the DRI and Customs unearthed a large cache of contraband heroin from two containers from Afghanistan that had arrived at the Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT) of Mundra Port.
“The law empowers the Government of India’s competent authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize unlawful cargo,” said APSEZ, which pointed out that no port operator across the country can examine a container.
“Their role is limited to running the port,” highlighted APSEZ.
“We have no policing authority over the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra or any of our ports,” added the largest port operator in India in an effort to mollify social media users, who seem to blame the Adani Group for the presence of illegal drugs at Mundra port.
“We sincerely hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group,” noted APSEZ.
